An Aussie Gin Journey

[GinDrinker]

Hi All

Australia like many countries has thriving local gin makers using local ingredients. So I set out 6 months ago , with zero distilliing experience to create an approximation of a couple of my local favourites, particularly a well known distiller in the Yarra Valley Victoria. I've used the similar botanicals they use, but of course have no idea of their actual quantities.

I've stuck so far to citrus influenced gins, because they're the ones I enjoy drinking

The help from this forum has been amazing and the path would have been so much more difficult without it , from Odin to Arto and many others, particularly in the area of botanicals and quantities.

So I thought I would post some recipes I've settled on for friends and family that they all seem to enjoy. Personally I've never met a gin I didn't like, so I mightn't be the best judge But I do feel these carry many of the characteristics and style of some of the Modern Australian gins that have been developed over the past 15 years.

All recipes are in g , and calculated at 1L of finished product. End result is crystal clear gin , with slight pearlescent louching when adding tonic.

I macerate at 50 %ABV , distill at 40% ABV and heat boiler to 50 deg C and macerate for 2 hours before distilling. Also tend to pull some of the citrus strips out before distilling - say 50%

Modern Australian Gin

Juniper 16
Orange peel 2 X 6" strips of fresh or equivalent dried
Lemon Myrtle Leaves 1
Coriander 6
Cardamom .2
Cassia 1
Star anise .2
Lavender (approx) or a large pinch of dried lavender flowers
Angelica Root .75
Tasmanian Pepperberry Leaves .75

Spicy Asian Ginger Gin

Juniper 16 Orange 2 X 6" strips of fresh or equivalent dried
Lemon Myrtle Leaves 1
Coriander 5
Cardamom .2
Cassia 1
Star anise .1
Lavender Flowers .2 (approx) or a large pinch of dried lavender flowers
Angelica Root 1
Tasmanian Pepperberry leaves 0.5
Cubeb Pepper 1.5
Grains of paradise 1.5
Fresh Ginger 1 I play with this number a bit still to get the right amount of ginger

Aussie Pink Gin

Juniper 16
Orange and Ruby Grapefruit and Lemon Peel 3 X 4" strips of fresh or equivalent dried (1 of each)
Lemon Myrtle Leaves 1
Coriander 6
Liqourice Root .75
Roasted Macadamia Nut 1.25
Pink Peppercorns .75
Green peppercorns .75
Lavender Flowers .2 (approx) or a large pinch of dried lavender flowers
Strawberry Gum Leaves 0.75

To finish the pink gin I soak in some dried rose and hibiscus flowers, fresh rasperries, overnight and then strain . I don't add any sugar or additional sweetness.

I also make a "Purple Ink" version of the Modern Australian , which is just soaking a handful of butterfly pea flowers for 4 hours then straining , my girls (wife and daughters ) like the purple/pink effect.

and a 'Xmas" version of the Spicy Ginger by adding 75ml of Liquer Muscat per bottle, it drinks nicely with ginger beer.

Anyway thanks again for all the help, it's been a very fun and rewarding experience.

[PLAYMP]

Thanks for sharing. It’s funny your modern Australian gin is really close to my go-to gin bill and I’m about as far away as you can get from Australia. I use lemon balm instead of lemon myrtle and of course there’s not a lot of Tasmanian Pepperberry bushes up here in Canada…

[MooseMan]

Thank you for sharing your recipes, more complex than mine for sure, and one or two things I definitely can't readily get!

I will be trying the hot maceration out though for sure, I do a deliberate slow heat up, but nowhere near that.
Have you found that it pulls more of everything out, or just highlights certain things?

[Saltbush Bill]

I will be trying the hot maceration out though for sure,

I'm interested in that idea too, at the same time, by doing it that way, I have to wonder if it might make the earthier type tail end flavours such as cassia bark become more pronounced earlier in the run. Having said that I'm more into the traditional gins , big n bold , lots of Juniper and coriander.
Still be interesting to see what that heating method has on a batch.

[MooseMan]

I will be trying the hot maceration out though for sure,

I'm interested in that idea too, at the same time, by doing it that way, I have to wonder if it might make the earthier type tail end flavours such as cassia bark become more pronounced earlier in the run. Having said that I'm more into the traditional gins , big n bold , lots of Juniper and coriander.
Still be interesting to see what that heating method has on a batch.

Yeah let's hope the answer is what we hope for then SB!
I follow your thinking on the later flavours possibly developing earlier with this method, that would be nice.

I too prefer really bold flavour in my gin, and since arriving at my own flavour heavy, citrus forward profile I've been a bit deflated by every commercial offering I've had at a pub.

I'll give this hot maceration a whirl anyway, but would be good to have a steer on it from the OP before I do.

[GinDrinker]

Hi ,

I can't claim the "hot maceration" as my idea , it came from Jesse the New Zealander on the Youtube channel "Still it" . Great guy and lots of good help for beginners like myself.

I started doing it for convenience a couple of months back when i was still playing with the botanicals , it's more convenient for me than waiting 24 -48 hours. I can just decide on a morning/day I had time (or the weather was too shit to play golf) , and could just put a run together and finish it that day. or even knock over a couple of runs in a day.

I haven't noticed a major difference in taste at all, but over 30 odd batches , I've honestly never made one I didn't like as much or more than a lot of the commercial stuff. The first few I made i was way too heavy on the botanicals and they were super strong flavour, but even they were easy to water down a bit with additional pure spirit and drink anyway.

I didnt mention wash, I started with TPW, then Teddy's FFV, and have settled now on Kale wash , all recipes from here, so the base spirit has probably changed slightly in flavour over the time. The Kale I like , again for convenienience , less mess, less cleanup, quick to put together, and Vodka seems really good to me. I also popped into a pretty decent local distillery, and they were using Kale wash, so thought well if it works for them why not.

[MooseMan]

Hi ,

I can't claim the "hot maceration" as my idea , it came from Jesse the New Zealander on the Youtube channel "Still it" . Great guy and lots of good help for beginners like myself.

I started doing it for convenience a couple of months back when i was still playing with the botanicals , it's more convenient for me than waiting 24 -48 hours. I can just decide on a morning/day I had time (or the weather was too shit to play golf) , and could just put a run together and finish it that day. or even knock over a couple of runs in a day.

I haven't noticed a major difference in taste at all, but over 30 odd batches , I've honestly never made one I didn't like as much or more than a lot of the commercial stuff. The first few I made i was way too heavy on the botanicals and they were super strong flavour, but even they were easy to water down a bit with additional pure spirit and drink anyway.

I didnt mention wash, I started with TPW, then Teddy's FFV, and have settled now on Kale wash , all recipes from here, so the base spirit has probably changed slightly in flavour over the time. The Kale I like , again for convenienience , less mess, less cleanup, quick to put together, and Vodka seems really good to me. I also popped into a pretty decent local distillery, and they were using Kale wash, so thought well if it works for them why not.

Thanks GinDrinker.

I've seen a couple of his videos but it gets a bit tiring with the merch plugs etc.

I will go look for the video where he describes the hot maceration as I also tend to do 1L gin runs at a moment's notice after work in the evening etc. So getting the most out of my botanicals is something I want to pursue.

I've used several washes to make neutral now too and funnily enough, I'm using stinging nettles (Urtica) as a nutrient booster for sugar washes, which is basically what kale does but it's free and makes me weed the garden more often and more thoroughly! Haha

[GinDrinker]

I will go look for the video where he describes the hot maceration as I also tend to do 1L gin runs at a moment's notice after work in the evening etc. So getting the most out of my botanicals is something I want to pursue.

Yeah that's what I like about it, just grab a few hours spare and it's done, don't have to plan too far ahead

[googe]

Hi ,

I can't claim the "hot maceration" as my idea , it came from Jesse the New Zealander on the Youtube channel "Still it" . Great guy and lots of good help for beginners like myself.

I started doing it for convenience a couple of months back when i was still playing with the botanicals , it's more convenient for me than waiting 24 -48 hours. I can just decide on a morning/day I had time (or the weather was too shit to play golf) , and could just put a run together and finish it that day. or even knock over a couple of runs in a day.

I haven't noticed a major difference in taste at all, but over 30 odd batches , I've honestly never made one I didn't like as much or more than a lot of the commercial stuff. The first few I made i was way too heavy on the botanicals and they were super strong flavour, but even they were easy to water down a bit with additional pure spirit and drink anyway.

I didnt mention wash, I started with TPW, then Teddy's FFV, and have settled now on Kale wash , all recipes from here, so the base spirit has probably changed slightly in flavour over the time. The Kale I like , again for convenienience , less mess, less cleanup, quick to put together, and Vodka seems really good to me. I also popped into a pretty decent local distillery, and they were using Kale wash, so thought well if it works for them why not.

hey mate, was it tiny bear ditillery?

[B_Stilling]

Hey mate

I just got back from a trip to down under and got my hands on some eucalyptus and lemon myrtle. I wanted to make a citrus forward gin with an Australian twist, so I went with your juniper / coriander recommendations.

Per liter 50% abv;
16gr juniper
6gr coriander
0,2gr cardamom
3gr lemon myrtle
2gr eucalyptus

I used 2 minneola peels and 1 small orange peel on 3,25L 50%.

I macerated for 24 hours and macerated on the botanicals (taking out all citrus peel). Got me a real nice sipping gin! Lots of delicious citrus flavours in heads / early hearts and the lemon myrtle really came trough in the late hearts. Thanks for the recommendations

There was nothing wrong with the big heart cut but it lacked a bit of character. I would like for the final product to be a bit more outspoken. Now I'm on the hunt for an ingredient that really peaks in the heart cut so to speak. Next time I might turn down the juniper a tad (14gr?) and crank up the lemon myrtle (5gr?) too.

B.

[Saltbush Bill]

You ever been to Tiny Bear Goo? The owner started out on Empties forum or maybe AU before that , he makes some nice products and seems to be powering ahead.
If your ever in that area drop in an see him , mention your user name and I'm sure he will show you around, hes a good fella...he gave a few of us the full guided tour a couple of years back when we dropped in.

I just got back from a trip to down under and got my hands on some eucalyptus and lemon myrtle

FWIW you can make a very nice Limoncello style drink if you can get fresh Lemon Myrtle leaves, the dried stuff just isn't the same imo.

[B_Stilling]

FWIW you can make a very nice Limoncello style drink if you can get fresh Lemon Myrtle leaves, the dried stuff just isn't the same imo.

Its the dried leafs I got, but thats a great idea! My basil verbena limoncello is almost finished and summer is coming!

[googe]

You ever been to Tiny Bear Goo? The owner started out on Empties forum or maybe AU before that , he makes some nice products and seems to be powering ahead.
If your ever in that area drop in an see him , mention your user name and I'm sure he will show you around, hes a good fella...he gave a few of us the full guided tour a couple of years back when we dropped in.

I just got back from a trip to down under and got my hands on some eucalyptus and lemon myrtle

FWIW you can make a very nice Limoncello style drink if you can get fresh Lemon Myrtle leaves, the dried stuff just isn't the same imo.

Never been mate, will do if I'm ever there again. Yep I know he's on empties site, remember I made the brand for his barrels?

[Saltbush Bill]

Yep I know he's on empties site, remember I made the brand for his barrels?

Errrrr yeah , I forgot about that , you should get the extra special red carpet guided tour in that case .....and a couple of bottles to take away.

[GinDrinker]

hey mate, was it tiny bear ditillery?

Yes it was actually, liked their product as well.

[GinDrinker]

Hey mate

I just got back from a trip to down under and got my hands on some eucalyptus and lemon myrtle. I wanted to make a citrus forward gin with an Australian twist, so I went with your juniper / coriander recommendations.

Per liter 50% abv;
16gr juniper
6gr coriander
0,2gr cardamom
3gr lemon myrtle
2gr eucalyptus

I used 2 minneola peels and 1 small orange peel on 3,25L 50%.

I macerated for 24 hours and macerated on the botanicals (taking out all citrus peel). Got me a real nice sipping gin! Lots of delicious citrus flavours in heads / early hearts and the lemon myrtle really came trough in the late hearts. Thanks for the recommendations

There was nothing wrong with the big heart cut but it lacked a bit of character. I would like for the final product to be a bit more outspoken. Now I'm on the hunt for an ingredient that really peaks in the heart cut so to speak. Next time I might turn down the juniper a tad (14gr?) and crank up the lemon myrtle (5gr?) too.

B.

Hiya, glad you liked the Lemon Myrtle, we happen to have a couple of trees in the garden, and it's nice to use something you grow as a botanical. I've played with Juniper between 14 and 16 as well, somewhere aound there seems to be about right to me.

[Wildcats]

Thanks for sharing this. Sounds great. I've never made any gin. Have drank a lot lol. Thanks again man.

[googe]

Yep I know he's on empties site, remember I made the brand for his barrels?

Errrrr yeah , I forgot about that , you should get the extra special red carpet guided tour in that case .....and a couple of bottles to take away.

He ows me a bottle lol

[Shiner_Co]

I also have been using the hot maceration. Seems to work real well for me and I am getting great gin from it.

After having a go at numerous gin recipes... My go to has been Jesse's gin from that same video. I have tweaked it. I reflux my neutral and TSFFV is my favorite neutral. I have a Mile Hi reflux/pot combo that I usually get 95% neutral. Worst has been 93%. I use Airstill Pro for my gins and botanical vodkas.

In Airstill Pro:
Start off with 1L of 50% neutral
heat pot to 50°C - shut off at 50°
Add botanicals and close
Sit for 1.5 hours
open and add .5L water to proof down below 40% and to have enough water so boiler doesn't over heat..
Add ingredients to basket (if using the basket)
Start in pot still mode
30ml will collect in foreshot glass then discard first 10 to 20ml in extra container
Collect 450ml then start testing for flavor and smell
Usually collect an additional 100ml to add to original 450ml
starts dropping off at 550ml and check every 50ml... have had it where 50ml was flavorful to add with final citrus notes.
results in 550ml to 600ml of good gin... usually at 74% to 76%
proof down to 43%... bottle 750ml then use the excess (usually another 300ml) for drinking right away in a dirty gin martini.
Or bottle excess in a separate bottle for immediate consumption
Good stuff fresh...even better after a week.

Gin recipe tweaked from Jesse's Still Its recipe:
18g Juniper (Crushed)
18g Juniper (Uncrushed)
8g Coriander Seed (Cracked)
8g Lemon Peel (Dried) or 1 fresh lemon peel in basket (for brighter gin)
1 g Angelica Root
8 Peppercorns (cracked)

I prefer a little big more in the Juniper piney so this has been a great basic recipe.

I started making a hibiscus gin after tasting one in Florida that has become our go to. Similar recipe and steps as above in 1L of 50% hot maceration before watering below 40%...
15g Juniper (Crushed)
15g Juniper (Uncrushed)
8g Coriander Seed (Cracked)
8g Lemon Peel (Dried)
1 g Angelica Root
6 Peppercorns
7g hibiscus flower (in maceration)
7g hibiscus flower (in vapor path basket)

The hibiscus flower brings a good floral flavor and a slight nose. To imitate the look of the gin from Florida, I macerate in 1g of butterfly pea flowers before bottling until it becomes blue (after proofing to 43%). Filter butterfly pea flowers out and bottle. Wife really loves the colour change when adding tonic.

I have used lime/lemon combo that has really worked well for citrus. In the end, the hot maceration really allows the bots to soak into the neutral in a short time. The recipe is a good base gin recipe.